Officials laud trade agreement

Trade negotiators say the deal signed between the U-S and China Monday will benefit U-S pork, soybean and corn producers. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s cautiously optimistic about China’s possible entrance into the World Trade Organization.An official with the Iowa-based National Pork Producers Council says the trade deal could be the most significant market-access agreement ever. There’re 1-point-2 billion people in China who eat an average of 70 pounds of pork a year. Grassley says he hasn’t been able to read all of the fine print in the trade deal yet, so he’s trying to reserve judgement.Grassley will be among those representing Iowa at the W-T-O talks in Seattle, Washington, starting in two weeks. He says he’s anxious to see what the U-S/China agreement holds for farmers.A similar pact between the U-S and China fell through in April after U-S missiles accidentally blew up the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.